Validation of a CFD-based numerical wave tank model for the power production assessment of the wavestar ocean wave energy converter

Abstract

CFD-based numerical wave tank (CNWT) models, are a useful tool for the analysis of wave energy converters (WECs). During the development of a CNWT, model validation is vital, to prove the accuracy of the numerical solution. This paper presents an extensive validation study of a CNWT model for the 1:5 scale Wavestar point-absorber device. The previous studies reported by Ransley et al. [1] and Windt et al. [2] are extended in this paper, by including cases in which the power-take off (PTO) system is included in the model. In this study, the PTO is represented as a linear spring-damper system, providing a good approximation to the full PTO dynamics. The spring stiffness and damping coefficients in the numerical PTO model are determined through a linear least squares fit of the experimental PTO position, velocity and force data. The numerical results for free surface elevation, PTO data (position, velocity, force), generated power and pressure on the WEC hull are shown to compare well with the experimental measurements.